Showing posts with label author: nora roberts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label author: nora roberts. Show all posts

Monday, September 27, 2010

Book Review: Windfall

Windfall: Impulse\Temptation

Author: Nora Roberts
Title: Windfall
Publisher: Silhouette
Publish Date: Septemeber 2009
Rating: 3 Stars
Book Blurb:  Impulse


For once in her life, Rebecca Malone decided to follow her impulses, jettison the familiar and head to Greece to find adventure! So when a sexy stranger began to romance her, she couldn't resist playing the sophisticated, well-traveled woman. However, falling in love with Stephen Nickodemus was not part of the plan! How on earth could she explain to the man she'd given her heart to that she wasn't the woman he'd believed her to be? And then convince him that she was still the woman he loved….

Temptation

Socialite Eden Carlborough didn't expect running a girls' camp to be easy, but she never thought she'd literally be run up an apple tree by the little monsters. She was equally surprised to come crashing down into the capable arms of orchard owner Chase Elliot. While her handsome neighbor's overbearing ways were highly irritating, his touch ignited feelings she'd never known. She never imagined she'd be so very…tempted!




Review: Windfall is a sweet set of early Nora Roberts stories for Silhouette. Both Impulse and Temptation are very sweet love stories, the kind that just about anyone can read without worrying about any real "smutty" scenes.

Impulse is a scant 95 pages. It is barely enough time to get to know Stephen and Rebecca, let alone believe in their happily ever after, but that's the point of these two stories in this book. These are love at first sight books and with Impulse that's what you get.

Rebecca is that kind of heroine that can only exist in a Silhouette Romance. She's in her twenties and has sold all her possessions to travel the world because she thinks she's too dull.  Ah, if only that were possible in real life.  I would give anything to go to London, Paris and Athens...and meet a rich guy and fall instantly in love.

This story is just a little bit too unrealistic to be great, but it is a sweet story and a very quick read.

Temptation is the story that makes this compilation novel worth reading.  It reads almost like a situation comedy at times. Eden is a rich girl, turned poor, who gave her last dollar to invest in her best friend's summer "girls" camp, which she's a riding instucture.

There's loads of fun with the girls at camp, specifically a 12 year old named Roberta, who it is impossible not to fall in love with. She stirs up all kinds of fun trouble and really is instrumental in getting Eden and Chase, the "apple man" together.

This story may not quite be love at first sight but the two get together over the summer, and nothing is easy for them. At first Eden is ready to try for a relationship and then her aunt shows up with her ex-fiance in tow. It makes for some interesting arguements and it was great to see Eden handle them like a strong woman and not some wishy washy girl out to do what might be best for her family's tattered image.

As always, there's a happily ever after that will make you smile.

Windfall was a cute set of stories by Nora Roberts and well worth reading.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Book Review: With Open Arms


Author: Nora Roberts
Title: With Open Arms
Publisher: Silhouette
Publish Date: May 2004
Rating: 4 Stars
Book Blurb: Available for the first time in over a decade, two classic novels of heartwarming romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts

Song of the West

The towering mountains and windswept plains called to her. But she'd never intended to stay forever -- until Jake Tanner stirred her emotions like a summer tornado and made it impossible for her to leave. But no man was going to seduce Samantha Evans to give up her dreams. Even a cocky cowboy who made her blood go hot . . .

Her Mother's Keeper

She'd left town a starry-eyed innocent headed for the big city. Now Gwen Lacrosse returned home a savvy, sophisticated woman. But her mother's maddening new boarder enticed her as no one had before. Luke Powers was reputed to be an expert in both words and women -- and soon he was turning Gwen's cool reason into something else entirely . . .

Review: These were 2 really cute and sweet books that Nora wrote early in her career for Silhouette. Both were written in the early 80s. Song Of The West was published originally published in 1982 and Her Mother's Keeper was originally published in 1984.

If you don't know that going in, these stories will be a culture shock for you. There's a lot of innuendo but this was a time when the "Romance" lines were about as clean as any YA novel.

Of the two books included in this anthology I'm partial to Song Of The West. I really loved Samantha and Jake and all the family and friends that surround them. I loved Sam's innocence that wasn't overwhelming.

I often wondered how Sam could just up and leave house and home for several months to take care of her sister. What plant did she live on, and did she not have bills?

That was really my only problem with this story. But hey! It's romantic fiction. Life is different in these stories!

Her Mother's Keeper wasn't nearly as good as Song Of The West. Both books suffered from "jumping to conclusions". In Song Of The West, Sam assumed Jake wanted to marry Lesley, even though he was obviously attracted to her. Now in Her Mother's Keeper, that's stepped up a notch. Gwen thinks Luke is involved with her mother, even though at every turn he's trying to get her in bed.

I had quite a few problems with this story and most revolved around Gwen, who was supposed to be ultra sophisticated at 23. Uh 23 in the 80s and working for Style magazine in a good position.

HOW! She would only have been out of college for a few years? That's quite a rise! Plus her actions were far from sophisticated, as her dealings with her ex Michael and Luke prove.

Then there's her mom, who is 47, and she treats her like she's 87! I had to keep reminding myself of when this was written because a 47 year old women dating a 35 year old wouldn't be a great issue today. Personally I find the opposite more annoying the 23 year old with the 35 year old.

This story just made me wonder what the characters had in common other than a mutual attraction.

Still, the stories Nora weaved here are show how great she was even in the beginning.
 
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